Canon EOS 500D - question

[millsie]

Hello, I am definately a Canon novice and have a camera that is about 10-15 years old.  I have been to a course but felt the trainer was more interested in promoting their own cameras and service rather than ensuring the attendees had notes etc and came away feeling like I had not really learnt anything about my camera.

We have just come back from hols (far north Qld) and I feel like the quality of my photos are not good eg clear and crisp and the colour is usually a bit wishy washy.  I looked at another family member and they have a newer Canon and the photo quality is exceptional.  I now use mainly automatic setting especially if our travelling as it is quicker to manage without changing my glasses etc.

Question, is it just a matter of updating the lens to a newer model or really the camera technology is now more developed and I would need to buy a whole new unit.  

[ebiggs1]

It is always nice to have the latest gear but your Rebel will make nice photos. If you took a photography course and you still "I now use mainly automatic (most of the time)", you didn't learn much from it. Auto mode may not be the best choice because the camera is guessing on what you want. It's top priority is to get the exposure correct. Not particularly any other aspect of the shot.

You did not mention what lens you have and use?  The lens is by far more important than the camera. I suspect you have the original kit lens supplied by Canon.  If so it has been updated quite a bit with the newer models of the kit lens.

"I feel like the quality of my photos are not good..." with out seeing and/or knowing exactly what and how you shot the photos no one can definitively tell you what went wrong.